Nine drawer dresser (from set)

This is a perfect example of the a diamond in the rough.  Most people would look at the brown dresser and run.  True, it is not very appealing at first glance.  However, of the whole set this went with, I was most excited about this piece.

The picture above picture is actually the pic the woman sent me when she was looking to sell the set.

Now for the process...

CLEAN. I like to use biokleen.  Its all natural and I get mine at fred meyer.  Its an all surface cleaner.  (Their stain remover is also fantastic for baby poo stains on onesies etc... but that is for another blog on another day. ;)

So, where was I?

CLEAN. LABEL the drawers to where they go (number system you'll remember or RF = right front etc) Take out all the drawers. Label the hardware.  REMOVE the hardware. The reason you label is each drawer is going to be slightly different.  Will the hardware fit on all the drawers? Maybe.  -But a micro measurement can make it difficult to put back in a different drawer.  Label them so they go back where they came from to reduce the chance of damage and frustration.

SAND. I have a small cheap electric sander I got for mother day. Its totally worth the $30.  Saves time and fatigue.  

*I recommend eye protection and a mask. I wish I said I did that every time but I haven't.  Often I just use sunglasses but do as I say, not as I do. Right?

CLEAN. I usually use a wet/dry vac to vacuum the pieces after I sand. Inside and out.  If you don't clean the piece, your paint will not lay down well.  It will grab all those little wooden dust pieces and ball up.  If you have a compressor, use the blowing feature to blow away all the dust from sanding.

CLEAN with the all purpose cleaner again.  You don't want to use a cleaner that will leave a residue.

At this point, you are probably thinking,  "I am just going to call you and pay you to do it..."  Ha ha. That is fine but I find refinishing furniture rewarding.  You may not feel the same way...

Choose your paint.  Since this dresser was very detailed, I used chalk paint.  I actually bought the Annie Sloan chalk paint ($40 a QUART!) and watered it down.  It actually says in the directions that you can water it down and since I use it just for a primer, I pay the money for it because its a good product that I have made go a long way.  Of all the projects I have done, I have only used 1 qt so far.

Read the directions for exact use. 

DON'T MISUNDERSTAND.  CHALK PAINT IS NOT CHALKBOARD PAINT.

I then chose to use a spray paint to smooth out brush marks and get in the detailed areas.  You'll find chalk paint isn't super easy to eliminate brush marks but some ppl like that look.

You can either choose to use chalk paint on the entire piece (which you will then have to wax to protect) or you can then switch paints once the chalk paint has dried.  

Again, I use latex paint that is the same paint that was used on all the baseboards and interior doors in my house.

1-2 coats later and a good waxing, dry time, putting the handles back on (which was easy since I labeled them)... she was done.